Mailbag

Rosie O'DonnellAfter reading your article on Rosie, I have no respect for her. She has claimed in the past that she believes no one should own a gun; she blasts Tom Selleck for being involved with the NRA and marches in the so-called Million Mom March. Yet her child's bodyguard can carry a gun? And she claims she didn't know he had one on him? Come on, Rosie.
Donna Butler, Tulsa

I have disliked this woman ever since she started to use her entertainment show as a soapbox to spread her political views. The guns issue was the final straw. I joined the NRA after the Million Mom March, and I don't own a gun. No, Rosie, people don't need assault weapons to hunt, but they come in handy if you ever have to defend yourself against the government. That will never happen, you say? Never say never!
David L. Schwartz, Huber Heights, Ohio

I am no fan of the NRA, but I wonder if Rosie would hold her job for long if she voiced the obvious: that the entertainment industry is half or more of the problem. The NRA keeps guns readily available, while the entertainment industry demonstrates daily, in movies and on TV, the violent use of guns without consequences.
D. Sector, St. Petersburg, Fla.

After reading your usual adulatory article about your cover celebrity (this time Rosie O'Donnell), she convinced me. I just sent the NRA a contribution. Rosie's "gun safety" is total disarmament. She is the best recruiter the NRA ever had. She should learn to keep her big mouth shut!
Juliet Thoene, via e-mail

First, I still don't understand what law-abiding gun owners have against sensible gun-control regulations. Second, I hope that the folks who are harassing and threatening Rosie realize they are proving her point and illustrating who we're scared of: really angry people with guns.
Sharon Scott, Warwick, N.Y.

In a country where every state has practical and written tests to drive a car, we certainly should have stricter laws for guns. How dare the NRA supporters who hide behind the Constitution with their "right to bear arms" crap threaten the safety of someone who is exercising her right to freedom of speech.
Joan Oldham, New Brunswick, N.J.

Give me a break! Rosie O'Donnell as the hardest-working single mom? She bought those kids and pays someone else to take care of them. How about the real single moms, who actually bore their children and don't have the money for nannies? I'd be happy never to see or hear anything about Rosie again.
Mary Hassler, Little Canada, Minn.

"Hypocrite" is the only word for Rosie. She doesn't think we should have guns to protect our children, but it's okay for her bodyguard to carry a gun to protect hers.
Janet Bollinger, Lake Havasu City, Ariz.

Jaws, 25 Years Later
To Steven Spielberg, et al: Thanks a lot, guys! It was easier when I was 8 and lived in Michigan, but now I am a 33-year-old attorney living in coastal Georgia, and I am still terrified of what lurks in the ocean. I love to sail yet refuse to put my toe in the ocean. Perhaps you could share some of those residuals for therapy.
LeeAnn W. Aldridge, Savannah

Mailbag
Lisa Desbiens writes about the Million Mom March: "Once we allow changes to our Constitution, we can watch all our rights disappear." We've been allowing changes to our Constitution since it was written. An amendment is just that—a change—and "the right to bear arms" is one of those amendments. If we'd never allowed changes to our Constitution, slavery would still be legal and women wouldn't be allowed to vote.
Julie Barman, Cupertino, Calif.

Marilyn Wann
Marilyn Wann has opened people's eyes to the fact that even though you are fat, you are a person with feelings and emotions. Folks who are thin as rails and have the good fortune to remain so all their lives have no idea how painful it is to be cheerful when everyone is cracking jokes, sneering at you and saying all you have to do is eat less! I've been fat since the day I was born. I weighed 213 lbs. at 11 years old. Now that I'm an old lady, I've learned that all people who don't like my weight can go to Hades. I'm me, and if you don't like the way I look, for goodness' sakes don't look!
Vivian Gomes, via e-mail

I agree with Marilyn Wann's speaking out against mistreatment of the fat. However, I do not agree with her that size is genetically predetermined. I feel that is an excuse not to eat properly and exercise regularly. Ms. Wann needs to spend more time learning about the health risks involved with being fat and less time making excuses.
Vicky Blinn, Burlington, Ky.